The Girl Next Door
by littlemalfoy
Summary: Severus Snape realizes that the new DADA teacher knows more about him than anyone else in the world.
1. It's Not Your Fault

**The girl next door**

_He was only 9 years old, with his innocence intact and thoughts of chocolate cake floating in his head when he woke up that morning. He headed downstairs, eager to greet his parents and celebrate with his friends. But when he went downstairs he didn't see decorations, or a cake on the table, or gifts waiting for him. Instead, he saw his mother tied up and gagged in a corner, his father standing over her with his wand in his hand._

_His father finally noticed his presence in the room and smiled evilly._

"_Ah, the birthday boy. Good. You can watch the show, then_**_Incarcerous_**_"_

_His hands immediately got tied behind his back with some kind of thin rope. He noticed that his mother was tied with a much thicker rope, and she, unlike him, was tied at the ankles._

"_Now, now, Eileen, don't cry. It won't even hurt. I'll just say the words and you'll drop dead. Painless. Peaceful, even. Then I'll grab that portkey on the table and be out of here before the Aurors can blink. Just, know this before you're gone: It's not me, it's you. I hate you." His father said, smirking. He leaned down and brushed some of the hair away from her face before placing a mocking kiss on her pale forehead. "You're an ugly little thing, aren't you? Samantha is much prettier. I suppose I shouldn't keep her waiting. "_

_Severus' eyes drifted over to the table. A single wine glass stood on it, waiting for his father to grab it and run. Severus took a few cautious steps towards his father, who had his back turned on him. Taking a deep breath, he kicked his father as hard as he could between his legs. The man howled in pain, dropping his wand. Severus immediately grabbed it._

"**_Incarcerous!" he screamed, and his father was immediately tied and gagged. _**_Then he hurried over to his mom. "Pull your hands as far apart as you can, Mom."_

_She obliged, and he used the Severing Charm on the rope, breaking in half. After he finished doing the same to the rope on her ankles, he levitated the portkey into his mothers' arms before she could react. She disappeared with a small 'pop', and he was left alone with his father. He stood there for a few moments, staring at the man tied up in the corner. His father. The man who, just a day ago, was his biggest role model. He stared into those hateful eyes before turning away and picking up a photo of his mother and his father. Shaking with anger, he picked up a pair of scissors and turned back to his father. Making sure to maintain eye contact, he cut his father from the photo and held up the result._

"_This is my family now. I hate you," he whispered._

_And then he ran, vowing never to trust another human being again._

37 year old Severus Snape sat up in his bed, sweating. The feeling of despair still heavy in his heart, he slipped on a pair of black trousers and a white cotton shirt before opening his chamber door and stealing silently into the hall. Shivering, he realized he wasn't wearing any shoes-only socks.

_It doesn't matter, _he thought, smirking _Any student out at this hour will be too busy trying to hide from me to notice._

The thought made him feel a bit better, although nothing could erase completely the dread he carried with him after he dreamt of his past. Yawning, he made his way through the halls, his head pounding furiously. No matter, he would just pick up a headache potion when he stopped to get the Dreamless Sleep one.

"No shoes?" A voice asked from behind him.

Severus froze for a second before spinning around, an act that wasn't nearly as impressive without his robes. His eyes narrowed when he saw it was the new DADA teacher, Trinity Silvia. She was tall and thin (which was a wonder, for he had seen her practically inhaling food at mealtimes) with almond-shaped green-hazel eyes, straight black chin-length hair with a bright red highlight on the left side and glossed heart shaped lips. Severus had an intense dislike for her. She reminded him of someone, someone from his past, but he didn't know who. Severus Snape didn't like not knowing things. He thought about saying something snarky but decided against it. Instead, he turned back around and continued walking. The sharp clicking sound of her brown high-heeled boots on the floor let him know she was still following him.

"Well, how rude." She said after a few moments. "Didn't anyone teach you to answer someone when they spoke to you?"

He did not respond, but began to walk a little faster, hoping she would go away. She adjusted to his speed.

"Running from a woman, Severus?" she taunted finally, when she could no longer keep up with him.

This made him stop. Nostrils flaring in annoyance, he turned slowly to face her.

"Running after a man, Miss Silvia?" he responded coolly.

"Yes, actually." She said matter-a-factly, sticking her chin in the air.

"Do you need something, or are you just following me to piss me off?" he asked, glaring at her.

"I do need something." She said, smirking. "I need to follow you."

He glared at her for many moments. Seeing that this did not affect her, he turned around and continued walking. This time she did not follow him. Before he rounded the corner, though, she called to him:

"Did you dream of it too, Severus? About when your father left?"

He spun to face her, shocked. She just stood there staring at him, her eyes glistening with tears.

"It's not your fault, you know." She whispered. That being said, she turned and walked away.

**A/N: What do you think? Should I leave it a oneshot or go on and tell you all how she knows what she does? I apologize for my horrible grammar. :)**


	2. I Have To Go Now

The next morning, Trinity sat next to Severus at breakfast and began to poke him on the shoulder, hoping to gain his attention so that she could speak to him. He ignored her and glared at students for a few moments before snapping.

"Would you stop poking me?" he hissed.

"Maybe if you would _listen _to me, I wouldn't have to poke you!" she snapped, glaring at him. "He's _alive_, you know. I saw him."

Severus frowned.

"Who?"

"Your father." She responded, glancing around to see if anyone was listening. "He was in Knockturn Alley."

His eyes narrowed.

"Why were _you _in Knockturn Alley?"

"I was curious. My mother never let me see it as a child, but I figured I was old enough now. But that's not the point! He was there, asking about _you_!" she warned urgently.

"How would _you _know my father's face enough to recognize him?" Severus asked.

Trinity blinked.

"I-I'd seen him before, in his younger years. Dark brown hair, roman nose, black eyes, high cheekbones? I have to go to class now." She said suddenly, raising from her chair and hurrying out of the great hall.

Another rush of Dejavu hit Severus as he watched her go. Closing his eyes, he tried to remember.

_He was 8, happy and gleefully ignorant about the future. As he sat on the step, he watched a young girl, about his age, walking down the sidewalk. She was thin, with green-hazel eyes and chin-length black hair. When she saw him she stopped and smiled._

"_Hello, Severus." Her voice was hopeful, shy and slightly cautious._

"_How do you know my name?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. _

_She blinked._

"_I've heard what your parents call you. Severus, and sometimes Sev. I have to go home now."_

That was where the memory ended. If only he could see where she ran to, where her home _was_, he might be able to remember _who_ she was. One thing was sure; Trinity Silvia had met him before.

Irritated, he stabbed at his steak, wishing he could get her out of his head.


	3. Sileo Intueor

As he sat behind his desk and watched the 6th years working, Severus' thoughts roamed back to Trinity. Though he only remembered meeting her face to face once, there were more memories of her, he _knew_, but he couldn't access them.

_Why do I even care to remember her? _

He shook his head. No matter how many times he told himself that he was only interested in what she knew about his father, he knew that that was not true. Even though she annoyed the _hell _out of him, he was strangely drawn to her. Damn her.

_I'm going to get to the bottom of this damned mess right __**now**_, he vowed.

"Class _dismissed_," Severus growled, giving each student his infamous 'death glare' before walking swiftly out the door.

Eyes wide, the teenagers quickly collected there books and rushed out behind him. Severus hurried over to the DADA class and slammed open the door.

"What are you-" she began, shocked.

"Come with me,"

Her mouth snapped shut when she saw how pissed he was. Once she stepped out of the class, he grabbed hold of her arm and dragged her into a dark corner, slamming her against the hard wall.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

She stared at him for a few moments before she replied, looking thoughtful.

"I am the girl who was always watching, always there, but never visible. I am your _sileo intueor_, and right now, I'm trying to save your life."

With that, she pushed him off of her and walked away, leaving him more confused than before.

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Severus at the wall for a few moments before shaking his head.

_Sileo Intueor_? Was she _stalking _him? And how the hell was his life in danger?

He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to calm himself down. She obviously wasn't going to stop talking in codes. He needed a way to remember all of the times he had seen her, and were. His eyes opened abruptly as a brilliant idea began forming in his mind. Of course. The solution was so obvious.

**A/N: I know this is **_**really **_**short, but I have to leave soon. By the way, **_**sileo intueor**_** is Latin for 'silent observer', or something to that effect. Please review!**


	4. Memoria

Severus began working on the potion, _Memoria Venenum_, immediately. It had a relatively simple result: For exactly one hour, it brings forgotten memories to the front of your mind. It was known to drive _some_ people insane…but those people were idiots. They did not specify exactly _what _memories they wanted to see. They should have known that having to go through millions of memories in only an hour would mess with their head.

Once he was finished, he took out piece of parchment and wrote Trinity's name on it before dropping it into the cauldron. The paper dissolved immediately. This potion would answer all of his questions, he was positive. However, a part of him didn't want to know. His life wasn't exactly happy or easy but it was _familiar_. He had a feeling that once he drank the potion everything would change. Still, he needed answers.

Just as he was bringing the goblet to his mouth, he heard a knock on his chamber door. Severus put the goblet down and opened the door. It was Trinity.

"Miss Silvia," he said silkily, "Come to issue more cryptic warnings?"

"Possibly," she responded with a slight smirk.

He raised an eyebrow. The woman really seemed to appreciate his sarcasm.  
She even seemed to possess a sarcastic edge herself. Her secrecy was annoying, though.

Trinity's eyes flickered over to the potion ingredients on table before landing on his face.

"_Memoria Venenum_, Severus? Clever. Now _throw it away_." She pushed past him and took a seat on the dark green couch in the corner of the room, humming to herself.

"And _what _would possess me to do that?"

"I'll tell you who I am, along with some other things. I planned to tell you today anyway." She responded, maintaining eye contact with him as she spoke.

He paused for a moment before speaking.

"Very well."

Severus poured himself a glass of firewhisky, aware of Trinity's eyes following his every move. He offered her some, but she refused, so he took a seat on the couch opposite her.

"I lived across the street from you." She said finally, breaking the silence. "My mother wouldn't let me out of the house often, only once or twice, to go to the laundry or buy groceries. She didn't like it when I spoke to other children, and often got upset if she saw me saying 'Hello' to strange girls or boys my age. It didn't matter to me. It was all that I knew, and there weren't many children on our block anyway. But there was you."

Trinity paused, looking up to meet his eyes.

"I couldn't help but watch you. There was nothing else to do. I especially loved to watch on your birthday, when other children would come around. After a while I began to-" she trailed off, her eyes hardening before she continued. "After a while I felt as if I knew you. Which is why I want to save you. I saw your father, Severus, talking to a dim-witted woman named Samantha about getting revenge on you for saving your mother. He _really_ wanted her dead, and now he wants _you _dead, too. I already spoke to Dumbledore about this, and he agrees that you should probably not go to any death-eater meetings until this is sorted out: you're father's joined them, and he would recognize you. "

By the time Trinity finished she looked as if she was ready to cry. Severus couldn't understand this: sure, she had been curious about him, and had probably seen most of his childhood, but why was she so emotionally attached to him? She hadn't even spoken a word to him until a few days before. She was hiding something.

Frowning, he caught her eye and whispered '_Leginimins'_. He was shocked to find carefully constructed walls guarding her thoughts. Severus pulled away immediately, fully expecting her to be furious. Instead, she smirked at him.

"Nice try," she said in a singsong voice. "We had both betterget to class now, before the students notice we're both missing and assume we're shagging or something."

Severus snorted at the absurd idea.

But perhaps it wasn't as absurd as he thought.

**A/N: I know Severus is OOC…I'm sorry. BTW, I'm going to re-write the 3****rd**** chapter. It sounded kind of choppy…**


	5. Not Even The Bravest

_15-year old Trinity Silvia extracted her wand from her robes and walked slowly through the dark halls of Hogwarts, grateful for the fact that Severus had his own room as head boy. _

"_I'm so sorry, but it's for the best," she whispered, though the boy was nowhere in sight. She walked for a few more minutes before stopping in front of a painting of a snake coiled around a wand. Forcing back tears, she whispered the password and the painting swung aside, allowing her entrance._

_There he was, sleeping peacefully, completely unaware of what she was about to do._

_She swallowed several times before raising her wand._

"_Oblivate!" she whispered, her voice strangled. _

_As she exited his room, she allowed tears to flow freely, trying to find comfort in the fact that she didn't erase _all _memories of his memories of her, only…only all of the _important_ ones. _

Trinity woke to find her pillow wet with tears. She sat up and hugged herself, trying to chase away the chill that washed over her whenever she remembered how she erased more than 4 years of a close relationship with a single spell. In the end, her reasons for doing this just weren't worth destroying what she had with Severus. All she could do was try to re-build what she destroyed, but now…now, she didn't think it was possible. Because of her, Severus couldn't possibly remember how close they had been. It seemed futile to try to reach out to him when he was so cold and guarded.

There _was_ a way for him to get his memories back- it was actually a variation of _Memoira Venenum_, the very potion Severus was working on earlier that day: just add a little Salamander blood and Lacewing flies to the brew. She would have given it to him ages ago, but she knew he would be furious if he found out he erased his memories.

Not even the bravest Gryffindor would purposely make Severus Snape angry…and Trinity Silvia was no Gryffindor.


	6. Someone he hardly knows

His father was trying to kill him.

_Not something you hear everyday. _Severus thought, fingering the glass of elf-made wine in his hand. Somehow, that didn't worry him much. His father had always been a less-than mediocre wizard and probably would be just that until the day he died. Tobias Snape _could_ have been brilliant, but he didn't like listening to other people; woe be tide to anyone trying to teach him something new.

_So, life's good._

Severus smirked. A little bit of sarcasm always made him feel better. Realistically, his life was like a bucket overflowing with worries and troubles, a fact that no one seemed to understand. And now, he had a new worry: Trinity Silvia.

He was starting to like her. Not good.

He hadn't really _liked _anyone in years. Everyone else seemed just another player in the weird, twisted game of his life. He had _admired _several people- Albus, Minevra, Poppy- but he hadn't ever really been _fond _of them; he never considered them his _friends_.

Trinity seemed different somehow. He was _drawn_ to her. As a double agent with a death threat, he couldn't afford to be drawn to _anyone_.

It was decided, then.

He had to cut Trinity Silvia out of his life.

§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§

"Ablus!" Severus hissed "You must understand. This isn't only _for _me, it's for everyone."

Albus Dumbledore smiled, eyes twinkling.

"You mean to tell that I should fire Miss Trinity because you _don't_ hate her? Severus…this might be good for you. I'm positive that if you had met her before you became a spy you two would now be happily married with 4 or 5 adorable children, a pony and a muggle Chihuahua named Snowball."

Severus winced.

"Albus, even if I did get 'happily married', which is highly improbable, I would not have more than 2 children, I would _not _purchase a _pony_, and if I was forced to choose a muggle canine it would be a very large Flat-Coated Retriever."

"And if you were 'forced' to choose a woman?" Albus asked, smiling as Severus' jaw tensed. Apparently, the woman that came to mind shocked even Severus himself.

"Would I be wrong to assume that it is Miss Silvia?" the old man asked finally.

"Yes," Severus hissed. "You would be wrong. If I were 'forced' to choose a woman, I would give it much thought, and, in the end, it would be foolish to choose someone I hardly know."

Albus' eyes twinkled.

"But she was the first woman you thought of? You like her, Severus. Give her a chance."

Severus glared at him.

"Thank you for your time, Albus. I should be going now."

With that, he rose from his seat and swept out the door. When Severus was out of sight, Albus shook his head and frowned.

"Someone he hardly knows? If only he could remember…."

A/N: No Sev/OC story could be complete without Albus, could it? He's a meddling old coot…that's why we love him! HP would not be the same without him. Suddenly remembers HBP and starts sobbing uncontrollably 


	7. Snarky, Bossy, Pointy

"Why don't you speak to Narcissa about it, then? You of all people should know that I know next to nothing about women." Lucius Malfoy frowned, wondering why his best friend had to come to _him _for advice.

Lucius had spent 3 long years drooling over Narcissa before she finally realized he liked her and took matters into his own hands. Severus smirked at the memory.

_13-year old Narcissa Black strode through the halls of hogwarts, her ponytail bouncing behind her. She looked around for a few moments before glaring at anyone in sight, as if it were _their _fault that she could not find whomever she was looking for. _

"_Where is Lucius Malfoy?" _

_The crowd separated to reveal a tall, handsome boy, about her age, with sharp gray eyes and long blonde hair that he kept in a ponytail. He stared at her, tongue-tied, before a dark, hooked-nose boy elbowed him, muttering: "Stop acting like a fool and_ say something_!" _

_Lucius blinked and offered Narcissa a hand._

"_Lucius Malfoy, at your service." _

_She smirked and pushed his hand aside, instead leaning forward to place a kiss on his cheek. _

_  
"Malfoy, after much consideration, I have decided that you are my new boyfriend. Any objections?"_

_He stared at her, shocked into silence. _

_Narcissa grinned. "I thought so. You are to meet me at the lake in 30 minutes to discuss 'us'. Understood?"_

_Lucius nodded, not trusting his voice. After she left, Severus rolled his eyes._

"_Honestly, must you _always _act like such a Hufflepuff?"_

A sharp clicking sound brought Severus back to the present. He spun around, looking for the source of the sound. _Ah, Narcissa's heels on the marble floor._

"May I suggest that you speak to Miss Silvia about _Memoria Venenum_? Perhaps you should ask if you should add some extra ingredients to it, just for the purpose of your…personal investigation." Narcissa smirked and leaned against the doorframe, watching as Severus realized the implications of what she said.

"That _witch_ obliviated me!"

Narcissa rolled her eyes.

"Took you long enough, _snarky_."

Severus glared at her half-heartedly, recognizing the term of endearment from their teenage years.

"I would love to stay and chat, _bossy, _but I've got a trigger-happy DADA teacher to deal with."

Narcissa shrugged.

"Go ahead. I've got to punish _pointy…_I mean _Lucius _for being such a clueless dunderhead and leaving all the work to me."

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End file.
